


To translate your ciphers, to fight your wars

by ConvenientAlias



Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: A Memory Called Empire Fusion, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, F/F, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 09:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20598764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConvenientAlias/pseuds/ConvenientAlias
Summary: Cassie likes aliens, so this assignment as assistant to an alien ambassador from Lsel Station should be her dream job. And she really does like Ambassador Rachel Berenson so far but.They are having some issues.





	To translate your ciphers, to fight your wars

Cassie likes aliens. She’s even a little notorious for it—Marco has teased her about it time and time again. But she’s fascinated by the societies that exist outside Teixcalaan, how they interact with Teixcalaanli culture and politics, and more than that by the aliens themselves; such different worldviews and sometimes even completely different bodies. (She has a bad habit of staring at Hork Bajir, on the rare occasions that they visit the planet; she’s working on it.) She likes aliens, and this assignment as assistant to an alien ambassador from Lsel Station should be her dream job.

And she really does like Ambassador Rachel Berenson so far but.

They are having some issues.

“Let me translate,” she says, “please. You won’t be able to decode those messages on your own. They’re based off complicated ciphers, Teixcalaanli poetry…”

Rachel’s eyes spark at her.

“…it’s the job of an assistant, really. Even native Teixcalaanli officials often don’t do it for themselves.”

“You still haven’t told me who sent you to work for me,” Rachel says. “Until I know that, how do you expect me to accept your help?”

“I was sent by the Ministry of Personnel. No more. I am on your side.” Cassie holds her hands up. “You can trust me. I have no hidden agenda here, only to help.”

(_And Rachel wants to trust Cassie. She’s been here for two days and it’s so much more than she expected._

_And Jake, her predecessor, whom she hoped at least was only imprisoned—a grim kind of optimism—is dead. There is no one left on her side except her imago line._

_Cassie seems nice_.)

“Fine,” Rachel says. She hands Cassie a message stick. “Decipher.”

She doesn’t take her eyes off Cassie as she does it, as if she expects to see Cassie throw the message stick away or somehow corrupt it, or as if she can read duplicity in her body somehow. Cassie keeps her voice even as she reads the message aloud once it’s deciphered, hopes she seems nonthreatening.

* * *

Rachel is from Lsel station, but she acts almost Teixcalaanli. She is smooth, even if untrusting and occasionally fumbling. And very competent, and clearly appreciates culture. Cassie takes her to an evening party and sees that she appreciates both the food and entertainment well enough.

Embarrassingly, Cassie is called on to entertain her friends. It is well known that she is an estreen, one of the best morphers of her generation. Many have said she would be more suited for performance or for battle than for diplomacy. She disagrees, but occasionally she does take her morphing skills out of the closet.

Morphing is something she enjoys.

She can feel Rachel’s eyes on her as she morphs. A butterfly, this time. Personally she thinks a butterfly is a terrible thing to morph for company—one has to deal with the antennae, the weird eyes, the number of legs—but she gets a lot of requests for it. People just love the moment when she fans out her wings while still mostly the size of a human, wings large enough that the human eye can perceive the scales for just a moment before she begins shrinking.

When she is fully butterfly, she flits about for a minute before landing on Rachel’s nose. There she sits between Rachel’s eyes for a minute, and sends Rachel a thought: <Your file says you can morph as well, Ambassador. Morph and join me. My friends would love to see it.>

Rachel only shakes her head, and Cassie flies away, morphs back to human. She performs several more of these tricks, and Rachel watches, entranced. Then, sometime when Cassie is not watching, she walks away.

(_She feels foolish. All the animals she has ever morphed, in training to understand this Teixcalaanli art, were predators. Bears and wolves and the like. And she knows she is nowhere near as elegant as Cassie. She is still bluntly Lsel._

_She reminds herself she should not feel ashamed of this_.)

* * *

(_I like her, Jake murmurs in the back of Rachel’s head._

_Of course you do, she responds. We are compatible. But we can’t focus on that sort of thing. You were murdered, remember?_

_I remember._

_We still have to make them pay_.)

Cassie shows Rachel all around the city. They meet diplomat after diplomat, minister after minister. She gets to know Rachel somewhat better. Senses teeth beneath all this diplomacy. Her anger isn’t just futile crankiness or vestiges of an uncivilized upbringing. It is far stronger, barely restrained.

Cassie isn’t afraid of it, though, only wary. Such anger could endanger Rachel herself. One must stay in line in the capital.

But she doesn’t have to actively intervene until the Minister of Technology casually admits to murdering Ambassador Jake Berenson, and Rachel finally reveals her ability to morph.

She’s growing fur and claws, and growing in size as well. Cassie knows this isn’t just for intimidation; Rachel’s diplomacy has come to an end. But she can’t let this happen. She steps between the minister and Rachel. “Ambassador, you can’t.”

<I can. I will not let you stop me. Not just because you are nice.>

“Ambassador, you will be killed too, if you kill him. They won’t hesitate. You’re from Lsel, and he’s an important minister. Please. There are other ways we can seek justice.”

The minister, standing behind Cassie, is laughing and trembling at the same time.

(_Rachel, Jake says, it’s not worth it._

_For you it’s worth it._

_For me, resist. If you die, who will carry on our imago line? Then I’ll be really dead_.)

Rachel hesitates, then slowly demorphs. Cassie grabs her by the arm and drags her out of the building. When they’re outside, she says, “I’m sorry. You were right. He really was murdered.”

“He was my cousin,” Rachel says.

“We can get him justice. We just have to find out why they wanted him dead. I promise I will help you get your revenge.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

“Might have to do some… nondiplomatic activities,” Rachel says.

“It doesn’t matter.” Cassie likes aliens, but what she feels for Rachel now goes beyond that. Even if it’s treason, she won’t hesitate. She wants to fight Rachel's wars for her.

Rachel rumbles, still bearlike, and kisses Cassie. The alliance is sealed.

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a Sapphic September prompt of "Cassie/Rachel, A Memory Called Empire setting."  
:) if the fusion was confusing I'm sorry! But A Memory Called Empire is a super good book, I definitely recommend it.


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